


Death and Taxes

by JustOneMoreFangirl



Category: Meet Joe Black (1998)
Genre: Death can't stay away, Enjoy!, F/M, Fluff, How many is too many tags, I Tried, I love this movie, Longing, Reunions, Temptation, hints - Freeform, i wrote this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 20:42:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12540780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustOneMoreFangirl/pseuds/JustOneMoreFangirl
Summary: Watching and not doing anything helps no one. Susan looks miserable. At least, that's what He tells Himself. That's the excuse He uses as He does what He promised Bill He wouldn't do.





	Death and Taxes

**Author's Note:**

> This might be a total flop and I'm not expecting a load of views/reads because it's not a popular fandom. But this is my way of closure, because I love this film.

Chapter One - Observing Serves No One

He watched. She seemed confused, though of course He had no idea if she truly was. All He had was His eyes, and they told Him that she was. He had returned the man to her, so she had a shot at a good life. He observed as they talked on the bridge, the man scratching his head with no memories of the days he had been dead. Susan's smile was forced, that was clear, and part of Him hoped selfishly that she was thinking of Him, and wished He were the one she was talking with. He looked away, knowing that He daren't contact her, ever, or else He'd be consumed and never leave. All the new emotions she had triggered, the new and unfamiliar experiences. Susan was His first love, and the heaviness He felt, not in His chest for he had none, had taught Him that He would not purposefully love again.

 

He managed a month before checking on her again. She was working, and he ghosted after her, a phantom observer. Susan paced forwards briskly, her mouth set in a line and dark rings under her eyes. It was obvious to Him that she was mourning, though whether it was just her father or Joe Black as well was a small hope He held. The watch Bill always wore was strapped tightly to her left wrist, his ring on a chain around her neck. He had never understood humanities attachment to inanimate objects but suddenly he wanted a piece of _her_ , something to hold and cherish. A trinket that was purely His Susan's. Only through experience did He empathise and relate.

"Can you please book the MRI for Mr Jones in room 214? Thanks." Her soft voice struck a cord in His being. Without a moments hesitation He reached for her, intangible fingers finding no purchase on her shoulder.  Susan spun on her heel, eyes wide. She was looking at Him. She could see Him. _Surely_ , she could see Him. A hot minute passed as a blistering heat rose inside. He could neither tell its beginning nor end, and he recognised it as a combination of hope and happiness. A shake of her head, her brow furrowed and she returned to work, pushing thoughts from her mind. Numbed, He let her be.

 

 Half a year later and he checked in again. He had lost track of time, in the place where he exists, and so had not meant to stay away for so long. In a way, it was healthy for him, though he did not care for what was better, he merely wanted her. Always. And so, he peered at her, as she walked home alone. It was raining and her coat was wrapped tightly around her small frame. The chill was no longer being kept at bay as her soaked form made its way through dripping streets until she paused. She looked into an alleyway, dark and dank, before returning her attention forwards. After a beat of hesitation, she took a left down the black, tiny street and He felt a panic swell inside. He did not even consider looking away. It would have been torture to not know if she was safe, and so He stayed with her as she passed stumbling drunks and returned to well-lit streets, hailing a taxi. He would have breathed a sigh of relief had He possessed lungs, but instead He just observed her lonesome drive home, and feeling more content in her wellbeing, left her to her evening. He did not ignore the emptiness of her house. 

 

After the longing grew to be too much, He submitted to the temptation of seeing her again. It had been almost two months and He had thought of her every day, though He was sure her memories of Him had faded. After all, the man wearing the face He borrowed was creating new memories with her. It would be easy to forget. She was home, curled up on the couch with a blanket across her lap to ward off the cold. A glass of wine was in her right hand, and her left was busy underneath the pillow cradling her head. He took a closer look, and saw her half-asleep eyes droop, her lips parted in a way that told him she was breathing evenly. He breathed deep, and took the form of a human, still ghostly. With a finger, He traced her lips, and her eyes twitched. She hadn't registered the touch, but it was enough. He positioned Himself behind her as best He could and waited for her to fall asleep. 

 

It had been a year since they had said their goodbyes when He seized the moment.  A twenty-five-year-old man fell down a flight of stairs, just next to the hospital she worked at, and snatched his soul before slipping into his skin. It was a different sensation to last time. This body was taller, He thought, and maybe leaner. His pushed the comparisons away and smiled, leaving the building in haste. Then, He was struck with an idea, realising he needed a reason to be at the hospital. He 'tripped' down the next flight and happily hobbled out the doors and into the street. The determination to see her, touch her driving Him.

He barely dodged the cars, and the people, oblivious to all the strange glances he received. He did not know why He was being looked at so strangely. Maybe it was the limp He had, or maybe the wetness trickling down from His right eyebrow. It could even be the bone protruding from His right arm. He did not know, but people gasped, and swerved, whilst others pulled out phones. Some even tried to halt Him, get Him to sit down but He was inside the hospital before anyone could stop Him. And then, fate. She walked right into Him. He blacked out shortly after...

The pain was definitely there, but it was nothing compared to the ache inside that had been with Him since He last left her. With effort, He stirred, physical form protesting when He opened His eyes. She was stood at the foot of His bed, scrawling something onto a chart. He didn't care what she was doing. He simply smiled and felt content to look upon her face, to watch her work. To interact with her once again. As if sensing being watched her eyes flickered up to meet his cobalt ones that held a warmth she hadn't expected.

"Good morning," she smiled, and His heart immediately reacted, "How are you feeling?"

"Good. How are you feeling?" He asked, unblinking attention focused solely on her.

"I'm fine, thank you. You took quite the fall, Mr Sanderson. You have broken your right arm in two places, as well as bruised three ribs and fractured another. Not to mention your leg, which you're lucky to not have broken. It's severely sprained and bruised, with what looks like internal bleeding in the calf. With any luck though, you should make a full recovery." Her smile warmed her cool, blue eyes, and His face remained impassive throughout the list.

"Splendid." He answered, a satisfied expression on his young features. A minute or so passed without him looking away, and she felt herself lost in His eyes. As realisation dawned, she blinked and cleared her throat.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked, though she didn't exactly know why. It was normal for her to show kindness to her patients, but she rarely turned into their maid. He simply seemed familiar.

"Yes. I'd like some peanut butter please."

Her heart spasmed beneath her ribs. A lump stuck in her throat, as she felt herself constrict in the clutch of shock. Susan blinked cooly, and simply swallowed, deciding there was no way it was anything more than coincidence.

"Sure. I'll see what I can do. Just push this red button to up your pain medication. You're on a morphine drip right now, and there's a nurse just outside should you need anything. I'll stop by later to check on you."

"Perfect. I'll see you then Susan."

His accent was English, that was obvious, but his intonation, the way he talked sounded like he had a lisp. But it wasn't natural to him, it was almost like force of habit. And the lisp was so close to her partner's that it stunned her. With a nod, she left, too confused to even smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it :) comment if you'd like to


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